The agreements for funding the North Karnataka Urban Sector Investment Programme was signed by Govind Mohan, joint secretary, Ministry of Finance, and the ADB’s country director Hun Kim. This additional loan of $123 million is the second tranche of the overall investment programme for a total loan amount of $ 270 million. The first tranche for a loan amount of $ 33 million was signed in January 2008.
The second tranche will assist the participating Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to rehabilitate the existing urban infrastructure facilities as well as construct new facilities, including sewerage and drainage systems, water supply systems, infrastructure works in slums and community development programmes.
The ADB loan will also assist ULBs to construct non-municipal infrastructure involving construction of fire station and quarters for firemen, district information centers and tourism facilities. The second tranche of the ADB loan will also support institutional reforms for the participating ULBs in north Karnataka.
These ULBs are spread over towns in the northern Karnataka like Badami, Basavakalyan, Bellary, Belgaum, Bidar, Bijapur, Chamrajnagar, Davangere, Dharwad, Gadag-Betagiri, Gangawati, Gokak, Gulbarge, Haveri, Hospet, Hubli, Likal, Jamkhandi, Koppal, Nippani, Rabkavi Banhatti, Renebennur, Shahbad, Sindhnur and Yadgir.